Facebook's Parse launches developer tools for Apple's tvOS, watchOS 2

Parse, the development platform provider owned by Facebook, announced on Monday a pair of new tools aimed at helping developers build apps for the Apple Watch and the new Apple TV.

The new watchOS 2 and tvOS software development kits are designed to make it easier for developers who work with Parse to create applications for Apple hardware. They build on the service's existing support for platforms including iOS, Android, Windows and OS X, and provide a variety of services for developers who want to focus on building their applications, not creating underlying systems to make them work.

Parse gives developers tools like the ability to manage push notifications across platforms, store and sync data in the cloud, and manage user logins, without having to build those systems themselves. According to Parse Product Manager Supratik Lahiri, developers who wanted to use Parse's tools with something like tvOS prior to Monday's launch would have had to do a lot more to make them work.

Parse's tools for tvOS make it easier for users to log into apps on their TV, thanks to its support of Facebook's SDK for tvOS. Those tools, which the social networking company released in beta last month, allow users to log in to an app using the social network by entering a code displayed on their TV into their smartphone or computer.

These new tools represent an acceleration in Parse's support for new platforms. The company just released development tools for the first version of watchOS in April, and the tvOS launch comes right on the heels of Apple announcing the operating system in September. When asked if this rapid release cycle is a sign of things to come, Lahiri said that Parse will continue along these same lines in the future.

"Definitely, I think we are very focused on providing the greatest developer experience, and that of course involves supporting the latest platforms," he said in an interview. "I think the cadence that you've seen is an excellent indication of what's to come and how often we release things. And I'm super-confident that we'll continue to be on top of all the latest operating system releases and providing support for them.

More than 600,000 developers have built applications with Parse, and the developer platform serves an average of 2 billion API calls every day. The new tools are equally positioned to help existing Parse developers take advantage of new platforms, and may also help attract app makers that want an easy way to build for Apple's devices.

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